The 32-year-old reality star, always up for looking "young," underwent a so-called vampire facelift on Sunday's episode of her show "Kourtney and Kim Take Miami." The procedure is the same one that Oscar attendees received via a gift certificate in their swag bags last month. So, what is it and, more importantly, does it really work?
Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel, a board certified plastic surgeon practicing in Boston, has performed the procedure "periodically" in the last five years, and tells omg! that people who like the latest and greatest treatments tend to ask for it.
Here's how he describes it: "What you do is you take out from a person's arm about two teaspoons full of blood - a standard blood draw, like you would get when you go to the doctor — and add some chemicals, spin it down, and separate it a certain way, and you end up with some fluid that can be injected into the face," Spielgel explains. "It's similar to — if you ever scraped your knee, that kind of yellowy stuff that you see oozing out of you - it's like that. So then you inject this back in into the area where there are wrinkles. The thought is that the natural body products that you inject in are going to stimulate your body to produce more collagen, provide some volume in itself, perhaps it contains stem cells that are gonna help - the goal is to get a much better appearance using your own body's blood."
He estimates the cost is about $1,000, which is comparable to that of proven fillers like Juvaderm or Restylane. However, he says it might not be that much of a bargain if the results don't last.
"For a little while, you will sees an improvement because you just put an injection in," Spiegel says. Still, he's not so sure the effect will last.
Neither is celebrity esthetician Reneé Rouleau.
"It just sounds more about sensationalism than it is about really driving a proven result," she says. "I've been in the skincare industry 25 years, and there's always things that come and go. It's kind of like this: Anything that is really a miracle, everybody will know about it. And this blood facial's been around already for a couple years and it's not a household name, so that right there tells you it's not being embraced. And if it's not being embraced, it's not that effective. There are always trends with ingredients, but the ones that are really proven are the ones that stay around."
Dr. Spiegel admits that he understands why the vampire treatment appeals to some. Technically, you're just moving blood from one place to another.
"Conceptually it's very attractive," he says. "If you're kind of hesitant about fillers and surgeries, this sounds very natural, very green."
cr:yomg